In Your Heart
by Kylaa
Summary: East High's golden couple thought they'd be together forever. Nine years later, their lives are completely different. Will fate bring them back together? Troyella.
1. Trailer

**Originally Posted: 10-05-07 as 'Always A Part Of Me'  
**

**They wer****e**** the perfect couple...**

Shows Troy and Gabriella walk down the halls hand in hand

**E****v****eryon****e thought th****ey would b****e tog****eth****er for****ev****er...**

Shows the gang all together, dancing at prom

**Th****ey promis****ed to stay with each other for as long as they lived...**

_"Even though we'll be across country from each other, we'll always be together," Troy reminded Gabriella sincerely._

**Their promise lasted in the beginning...**

Shows Gabriella chatting on the phone to Troy

**But after awhile they drifted apart...**

Shows Troy waiting for a phone call

**And then they just lost touch...**

Shows Gabriella and Taylor walking downtown, laughing

**Nine years later, everything is different...**

Shows Gabriella handing a lollipop to a little boy

Shows Troy tickling a little girl, a wide grin across his face

**One has a family...**

_"Look at the puppy, daddy!" Lacey squealed to her parents, Troy and Lynn._

**One is working, doing something she loves...**

_"Who knows the story of The Three Little Pigs?" Gabriella called to her class._

**When some ****things change for the better...**

_"Gabriella Montez, my office please," Mr. Johnson smiled to the busy teacher._

**Others**** change**** for the worse...**

Shows Lynn swallow a large glass of vodka **  
**

Shows Lynn smack Troy cleanly across the face

_"Daddy, are you and mommy breaking up?" Lacey asked._

**Will fate bring them back together?**

_"I don't want to go in daddy," Anabel cried to Troy, the wooden door standing before them._

_"I'll take you inside," Troy said sweetly to his daughter, holding her hand as he opened the door._

Shows Troy and Gabriella staring in disbelief at each other

**In a story of friendship...**

"What's going on, man?" Chad questioned to his best friend.

_Shows Taylor hugging a crying Gabriella_

_Shows Troy at lunch with Ryan and Chad_

**Family...**

Shows Troy and his daughters laughing, covered in peanut butter and jelly

_"Daddy, I love you more than the tallest mountain," Anabel sighed sleepily._

_"Dad, I need you in my life again," Gabriella whispered into the phone._

**Heartbreak...**

_"We lost him, we lost the baby. I'm so sorry, Troy," Gabriella whispered._**  
**

_"Don't leave me Daddy!" Anabel cried to Troy, breaking his heart._

_"Your dad can't be who you want him to be Gabriella," Mrs. Montez told her daughter_

**And love...**

Shows Troy smiling at Lynn

_"I missed you," she whispered to him, leaning in for a kiss._

**'In Your Heart'  
**

_"Once you've met your true love, you never forget them. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, they'll always be in your heart."_

**

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Author's Note: **I absolutely love this story. It was one of my favorite things to write. So, I'm reposting it, but some things will be different. The trailer is pretty similar but the storyline is going to be different. Let me know if you're interested! Review :)


	2. Chapter 1

****

Chapter 1

_9 Years Ago_

The front door creaked quietly as Troy Bolton entered his house. The sun made his shiny brown hair look like gold. He huffed as he removed his shoes and threw his keys on the dining room table. He was supposed to hang out with Chad that afternoon, but he had canceled last minute. So, Troy tried calling up Zeke, Jason and Ryan, but all said they were busy. He wanted to spend time with Gabriella, but she said she was busy, too. Some birthday he was having so far.

Sure, everyone at school told him 'Happy Birthday' or something of that variation, but how could everybody be busy on the night of his birthday? His own parents weren't even home! Troy sauntered down the hallway and turned left to go into the large family room.

"SURPRISE!" An echo of voices sounded, startling the birthday boy. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TROY!" Troy looked around the room, brightening up that nobody had really forgotten his birthday. Gabriella came running up instantly to hug the birthday boy, Zeke and Sharpay were passing out party hats, Kelsi, Ryan, Jason all sat around, watching the excitement take place, Chad and Taylor were setting up a pile of presents and Jack and Karen Bolton wheeled a large chocolate cake into the room with the words 'Happy 18th Birthday Troy" written in red icing.

"Blow out the candles and don't forget to make a wish!" Gabriella shouted. Troy looked down at the flickering light of the eighteen candles, closed his eyes and made his wish. With one breath, he extinguished the dancing fire as everybody cheered.

"Happy birthday, Wildcat," Gabriella whispered lovingly, planting a quick kiss on his lips. Troy wrapped his arm around the petite brunette's shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you so much everybody!"

The party went on for a couple of hours, past memories heightening the laughter and adding to the happiness. Around eight, Chad invited the gang back to his house to hang out for awhile.

"Thanks for the party mom and dad!" Troy called quickly to his parents as he exited the front door, Gabriella walking to the left of him, Chad and Taylor walking in front. Gabriella whispered something in Troy's ear as they walked toward his car. "Hey Chad, Gabi and I will meet you guys at your house after awhile."

"Okay, buddy! Have fun you guys," Chad called with a chuckle. The couple settled into Troy's car and then sped off down the road. "So where are we going?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked over and smiled at the boy she loved. "Well, we could go to my house. My mom is at my aunt's house all weekend, and I'm staying at Tay's. Meaning the house will be empty."

"And your positive you want to do this?" Troy asked the petite girl, not wanting her to feel obligated, as he took a right turn onto her street.

"Troy, I'm positive I want to do this. You are the only boy I've ever loved and you mean the world to me."

"And you to me. I love you Gabs," Troy whispered as he pulled in to the dark Montez driveway. Gabriella and Troy exited the car, both feeling butterflies in their stomach. Once Gabriella unlocked the front door, she grabbed onto Troy's hand and led him quietly up the stairs and into her bedroom. She silently closed her bedroom door and went to sit by Troy.

"I love you," Gabriella whispered again.

"I love you, too," Troy replied as he leaned in for a kiss.

--

"Gabi! Tell me! I've been waiting ever since you and Troy got back to Chad's house. That was three hours ago! How was it?" Taylor squealed, as she sat down on her bed next to Gabriella.

Gabriella smiled innocently and a red tint crept it's way down her cheeks. "It was amazing, Tay. It was better than I ever imagined. And to be with someone I loved...I don't even know how to describe it."

"Really? Oh, I'm so happy for you Gabs!" Taylor said as she hugged her best friend. "You and Troy are so perfect together. You'll be together forever."

--

The next morning, Troy woke up slowly to the smell of sweet pancakes and sizzling bacon. He sat up and stretched and dragged himself down the stairs. "Morning Mom, morning Dad," Troy said with a yawn as he pulled up a chair at the kitchen table, grabbing a glass of orange juice.

"Morning Troy. You're up later than usual," Mrs. Bolton noticed as she glanced at the clock, reading 11:30. "Late night?"

"Uh, yeah," Troy said, swallowing a sip of juice. "It was really fun though. So, what's going on today?"

"Your mom and I are going to run some errands after awhile. Oh, Troy," Mr. Bolton said casually, hiding his enthusiasm, "this came in the mail for you."

Jack pulled a rather thick letter out from under the table and handed it to his son, who's mouth dropped open. "It's...it's a letter from the University of New Mexico!" Troy excitedly ripped open the mail and slid out all the papers. He unfolded the top one and read aloud. "'Dear Mr. Bolton, we are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to the University of New Mexico!' I got in! Mom, Dad! I GOT IN!" Troy cheered.

Karen sighed happily and gave her son a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations sweetie!"

"Way to go, son!" Jack said, standing up to give his son a hug. "We are so proud of you!"

"I'm so pumped! Do you mind if I go over to Chad's?" Troy asked, his acceptance letter in hand.

"No problem, Troy. We'll see you later on."

--

"Dude, I got in!" Troy informed his best friend as they high-fived.

"Me too! I got my letter yesterday! I talked to Taylor and she said she got in, too! She and Gabi are on their way over," Chad yelled happily as the wandered into the kitchen. Troy pulled himself onto the counter and watched as his curly haired friend pulled out two cans of Coke. "Have you talked to Gabi since last night?"

"Not yet, but I can't wait to see her." Just as Troy took a sip of his soda, the girls entered the front door.

"Hello?" Taylor called.

"We're in here, Tay!" Chad called sweetly. Troy hopped off the counter as Gabriella entered the room and picked her up in his arms and spun around. As he set her down, her placed a kiss on her cheek and smiled at her. "Hey, sweetie. Did you get your letter?" Gabriella asked.

"Mhm, and I got in! I'm so excited. And Chad and Taylor did, too. Did you get your letter?" Troy asked quickly as Chad, Taylor and himself directed their attention to Gabriella.

The brunette hesitated slightly and then met Troy's hopeful eyes. "Well, yes..." she started, but was cut off by the cheering of her friends and boyfriend.

"I knew you'd get in!" Troy said happily, giving her a kiss.

"Wait, sweetie. I got in...but, I also got into the College of Staten Island," Gabriella stated nervously.

"Which means?" Troy asked apprehensively.

"Troy, I would love to go to school here. I'd be with you and Taylor and Chad, close to Sharpay and Ryan, and I'm sure it'd be great. It's just... I've wanted to go to the College of Staten Island for years. I don't want to give up this opportunity."

Chad and Taylor exchanged glances. "Um, we'll just be downstairs. Come down when you want," Taylor said quickly as she and Chad rushed down the stairs. Troy paced the kitchen for a moment before resting against the counter.

"You really want to go to Staten Island?" The tall boy questioned curiously.

"I really do. The only problem is...I wouldn't be with you. But, I think I'd always regret it if I didn't go there," She replied honestly.

"Then, that's where you should go," He replied after a few moments of silence.

"I don't want to leave you, Troy. I _never_ want to leave you," Gabriella cried, tears falling slowly down her cheeks. When he noticed she was crying, he walked towards her, wiping away her tears gently with his thumb.

"Hey, shh. It's okay, Gabs," Troy soothed, wrapping his arms protectively around her. "Even if we'll be across country from each other, we'll always be together," he reminded Gabriella sincerely.

"I love you so much, Troy. I don't know what I'll do without you," Gabriella told him, staring up into his blue eyes.

"I don't know what I'll do without you either, Gabi."

--

"Everyone, get together!" The mothers chorused as dozens of flashes filled the eyes of the eight teenagers. "Wait, just a few more!" Their voices rang as their children started moving around. "All the girls get together."

"Come on, Mom. At this rate, we'll miss prom completely," Chad teased.

"Just a few pictures of all the girls, Chad," Mrs. Evans tried compromising.

"My hair will only look good for so long, mother," Sharpay reminded her sharply.

"Well, at least we already did the pictures of all the boys," Mrs. Baylor said, dabbing the happy tears from her eyes.

As the mothers took dozens of pictures of all the girls, the boys stood over by all their dads.

"Big night tonight, boys," Mr. Bolton said.

"You're going to remember this night for the rest of your lives," Mr. Nielsen reminded them.

"And these beautiful girls you're taking? They have been dreaming about this night _forever_. Try not to screw it up," Mr. Danforth warned.

"And whatever you do, be careful. Don't even think of touching any alcohol!" Mr. Evans spoke sharply.

"Or anything _else_, for that matter," Mr. McKessie whispered, as the other fathers cleared their throats suggestively, trying to give the hint to their sons without making the situation too awkward.

"Well, then. No pressure or anything," Troy said with a nervous laugh, glancing at his best friends.

"Of course. No pressure," Zeke and Ryan mumbled as Chad's face showed the complete opposite of their words.

The room filled with noise briefly as the four couples said goodbye to their crying mothers and smug-looking fathers. "We'll see you tomorrow!" Several of the mothers called after the teenagers as they filed into the limo. The fathers stood on the porch waving goodbye as the mothers all but chased down the limo with their cameras.

"Those poor boys," Mr. Baylor chuckled to the fellow fathers.

"Oh, yeah. I'm glad that I'm not reliving my prom night," Jack Bolton laughed.

"You're not the only one." The adults started swapping stories of their prom experiences as their children headed across town for dinner.

--

The Evans' lake house was finally growing quiet near three in the morning. The night had been wonderful and terrible at the same time.

Things had started off great, but slowly went downhill. Zeke accidentally sat on Taylor's corsage as the got into the limo, almost crushing it flat. At dinner, Sharpay got a small spot of food on her dress, causing her to nearly breakdown. Kelsi's steak had been undercooked, and she quickly got a stomachache. Their driver got lost on the way to the hotel where the dance was being held, so the gang ended up being nearly an hour late. After dancing for awhile, Kelsi felt like she was going to be sick and was stuck in the bathroom for the rest of the night. Gabriella's heel broke during one of the faster dances, and Zeke ended up having to pry Sharpay away from the spiked punch.

Despite all the little mishaps, each one turned out to have something good come from it. Taylor realized she was actually allergic to the flowers in the corsage Chad had gotten her, so it was good she was unable to wear it. Sharpay was voted Prom Queen, which caused her to forget about the small stain on her dress. In a gentlemanly fashion, Ryan held Kelsi's hair back as she got sick and managed to find a bottle of Tums in Sharpay's purse to help ease the tiny girl's stomach. The driver felt badly for making them late, so he only charged them half of what they originally had to pay. Gabriella fixed her shoe problem by taking off both heels and dancing with her feet on top of Troy's. Luckily, Sharpay didn't get that drunk, and it wasn't until after she won Prom Queen that she decided to try the punch. Because of this, only few saw her make a fool of herself as she danced crazily to Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot".

After the dance, the eight seniors went to the Evans' lake house where they all changed into comfier clothes. The rest of the night included singing, laughter, and talking around a giant bonfire near the shore, followed by several rounds of the card game "B.S." As the night grew later, people fell asleep in pairs in the upstairs living room. Kelsi and Ryan were sleeping near the fireplace, Sharpay and Zeke asleep together on the fold-out-couch, Chad and Taylor were asleep in the center of the living room where the coffee table once stood, and Troy and Gabriella were snuggled quietly by the large window overlooking the lake.

Troy woke up half past three, looking for his girlfriend. Scanning the room, he saw no sight of her. From the corner of his eye, he saw the faint glow of the dying fire and the silhouette of the petite girl he loved. He walked down the deck steps, as he pulled a white t-shirt over his bare chest.

"Hey Gabs. What are you doing out here so late?" A sleepy looking Troy asked, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend.

Gabriella shrugged, causing her sweatshirt to fall slightly off her shoulder. "Just thinking. I couldn't sleep."

"Do you want me to sit out here with you?" Troy asked.

"I would love that," Gabriella smiled slightly, leaning into Troy's arms. The glowing embers danced in Gabriella's eyes as Troy rested his head upon hers. "What were you thinking about?"

It was quiet, the only noise coming from the steady beat of the waves hitting the shoreline. A few minutes later, Gabriella pulled Troy's arms off of her so that she could look at his face. Her eyes gazed into his as she grabbed his hands. "I'm so sorry," She whispered, looking down.

"Oh, Gabi. No, no, no. Don't be sorry," Troy whispered calmly.

"I'm sorry I'm leaving you three months after graduation. That's only four months away. Our lives are flying by so fast."

Hugging her closely to his chest, Troy mumbled quietly into her hair, "Don't be sorry. Live for right now. Things are great."

To Troy's surprise, Gabriella giggled. "Things are pretty great, aren't they? I mean, did you see Sharpay dancing to the Macarena tonight? That was priceless."

"It was pretty hilarious. And Chad didn't do half bad when he dance with Taylor, even though he has two left feet."

Gabriella looked at the almost extinguished fire. "It was one of the best nights of my life. That fire sure was beautiful."

"You're the only beautiful thing I see out here," Troy said softly as her eyes met his. Gabriella stood up with Troy's left hand closed tightly in her's. "Come with me," She whispered as she wandered down to the blanket that they had left by the beach.

"Gabriella, it's prom night," Troy said slowly.

"Are you letting me down easy?" She teased.

"You know I couldn't say no to you. But, it seems so cliché."

"Are you calling me a cliché, Troy Bolton?" Gabriella teased again.

"Not at all. I just want you to be comfortable with whatever we do," He said sincerely.

"Mm, I'll show you cliché," She mumbled before kissing Troy passionately.

--

"Best night of your life?" He asked as they crept back into the house.

"Best night of my life," She smiled back.

--

_Four__ Months Later_

That summer was a summer Gabriella and Troy would never forget. They spent every minute they could together, whether it was with a bunch of friends or just the two of them. Their love blossomed more and more each day. As young as they were, they were positive that what they had was love; They were soul mates, destined to be together forever.

So, when summer finally came to an end, they weren't worried about losing each other. Troy watched as Gabriella gave her mom a big hug and as the tears fell down both of their cheeks. Next, she watched as she gave Chad a brotherly hug and told him how much she was going to miss his humor. Finally, she reached Taylor. They hugged and cried for several minutes, but promised that they would visit each other as soon as they could.

She looked like an angel as she approached him. "Well, I guess this is it," Gabriella said sadly, a new wave of tears falling down her face.

"It's not it. Yeah, you're leaving. But we'll call each other everyday, email, instant message. And I'll see you over the holidays, if not any sooner."

"Oh, Troy! I'm going to miss you so much. I'll call you as soon as I land," Gabriella whispered, her tears coming down harder and faster.

"Come here, baby girl," Troy said, embracing her warmly in his arms. "You are going to be great. You're smart, beautiful, talented, nice--you'll be just fine. I love you. Never forget that. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone, Gabriella."

"I love you, too, Troy," Gabriella said. Troy pulled her into a long, loving kiss. He slowly pulled away and gave her one last big hug. "Have a safe flight, Gabs."

"Bye Troy," She waved as she walked away from her boyfriend. He watched sadly as Gabriella's figure grew farther away from him, his heart breaking slowly.

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Author's Note: **I'm psyched to be working on this again. Review :)


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_8 & 1/2 years Ago_

The clicks of the computer mouse were as constant as the ticking of a click. Gabriella had been searching desperately for the past two months, and had finally found what she was looking for. As she filled in the required fields, a warm excitement spread inside of her. Suddenly, her door swung open and her roommate Jane appeared by her side. She hastily closed her laptop most of the way, so that Jane wouldn't see what she was doing.

"You ready for class, Gabi?" She questioned, motioning with her hand to hurry.

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me finish this quick," She said with a smile.

"Okay!" Jane left the room quickly and Gabriella returned to the computer screen. After a few minutes, a ding sounded from the device. A grin spread across the petite girl's face when she read, "Your results will arrive by mail within two weeks."

--

The snow was falling thickly as Gabriella stared out her large window. She was laying on her stomach on her bed, her feet kicked up in the air. Books and notebooks were scattered around her bed and desk. Gabriella looked over to her black laptop as it sounded, alerting her that she had a new e-mail. The petite brunette jumped off her bed and plopped down in the squishy chair in front of the glowing screen.

She clicked open her mail and saw that she had two new e-mails, one from Troy and one from her mom. She opened the one from Troy first and her face lit up into a smile.

_'Hey Gabi! I miss you so much. I hope school is going great. Things are fine, but they would be better if you were here. I can't wait to see you next month for the winter holidays! Call me soon! Xoxo, Love Troy.'_ Attached to the sweet email were a few pictures. The first was of Troy acting like a goofball, a silly smile on his face. The second was of Chad and Troy playing basketball. The third and final picture was of Troy, Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Sharpay, Kelsi and Ryan holding up signs that read 'We Miss You Gabriella!' Returning to her inbox, she selected the e-mail from Troy and put it in her 'Save' folder.

Silently, Gabriella then opened the e-mail from her mom. _'Hey sweetie. I miss you. Hope school is well. I have some news, and you can decide whether it's good or bad. In March I am being relocated to Philadelphia. I'm very excited and I'll be closer to you. I'm not sure how this will correspond with your visits to Arizona just yet. However, I'm sure everything is going to work out fine, I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I'll talk to you soon! Love, Mom.'_

Gabriella's mouth fell open and she sat in shock. She wasn't going to be able to spend the holidays with Troy? Sure, she could visit him, but she wanted to be able to spend all of her break with the boy she loved. Yes, she'd be with him for all of the winter holidays. But what was she going to do when summer came around? A million thoughts raced through Gabriella's mind and she was only pulled out of them when the front door slammed and Jane entered Gabriella's room.

"Hey!" Jane said as she sat down Gabriella's bed. "What's wrong Gabs?" She asked after seeing the look on her roommate's face.

"My mom is being relocated to Philadelphia in March..."

"That's great! She'll be so much closer and you'll be able to visit her!" Jane exclaimed. "Wait, that is good right?" Jane added when she saw Gabriella stare at her incredulously.

"I'm not sure yet. How am I supposed to visit Troy?" Gabriella gasped.

"Oh," Jane said softly. The two girls sat in silence, the snow outside growing faster each minute, just like Gabriella's worries were.

--

The sound of basketballs hitting the gymnasium floor echoed throughout the large room. Troy and Chad ran up and down the court, sinking basket after basket, both feeling the energy pulse through their veins. After playing for awhile, they sat down on the bleachers and drank from the water bottles. "Great practice," Chad huffed between sips.

"You, too. I love practicing here," Troy said as he looked at the large gymnasium known as The Pit. "Come on, let's go."

Troy and Chad hoisted their gym bags over their shoulders and headed back to their dorm. Troy set his bag down on his soft blue comforter before sitting down in front of his computer. Chad plopped down on his bed and gave a relaxing sigh as Troy logged into his e-mail account. "Hey! I've got a new e-mail from Gabi! And one from Sharpay." Chad pulled himself off his bed, grabbed the chair from his desk and slid it over next to Troy.

Troy clicked on the e-mail from Sharpay first. "Oh she sent it to everyone. It says '_Hey guys! School is great! I have a show on December 12th and I'd love for you all to come out and support me. If you want information for tickets, call or e-mail me as soon as possible. See you guys over break! Love, Shar_!' Cool...wanna go to the show?"

"Sure thing. It's only twenty miles from here anyways. Oh, and you and Gabi can go together with me and Tay!" Chad reminded Troy.

"Yeah! Let me e-mail Shar quick." The keys on the computer clicked away as Troy typed a quick letter to Sharpay, informing her that he, Gabriella, Chad and Taylor would be coming so he needed four tickets. He hit send and returned to his inbox, clicking on the e-mail from Gabriella. Troy read aloud, "_'Hey Troy! I miss you like crazy. It's snowing here and I'm not that used to the cold yet. I love all the pictures you sent, but it made me realize even more how much I miss you. I can't wait till December so I can come visit you and the rest of the gang. The holidays will be perfect! Before I forget, I need you to call me. It's really important. I have class at three, meaning one your time. Just call me sometime after four your time. Can't wait to hear from you! I love you, Gabs.'_"

"I wonder what she needs to talk about," Chad pondered.

"Yeah, me too," Troy said with worry. Chad placed a hand on his best friends' shoulder and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing bad. I'm gonna shower cause I've got class in forty minutes." Chad grabbed a towel and his toothbrush and exited the dorm, leaving Troy alone in the large room. He exhaled as he lay down on his bed and fell into a light, uneasy sleep, his dreams all containing terrible scenarios of what Gabriella needed to talk to him about.

--

Troy held his phone sleepily to his ear. He counted the rings as he waited for Gabriella to pick up. One. Two. "Hello?" The sweet voice of Gabriella rang through the receiver.

"Gabi!" Troy exclaimed happily, rubbing his eyes with his hands as he sat up.

"Troy!" she shouted excitedly back. "Oh, I miss you so much. How are you, sweetie?"

"I'm doing alright. I miss you a lot. School is school, so not much to say there. So, it's snowing there?"

"Yeah and it's beautiful, even if it's cold. I wish you could see it. I'll send you some pictures later on tonight."

"That sounds great. So how's everything on the east coast?"

"Good. Like you said school is school, but I'm really enjoying it. I wish you were here with me. I really can't wait until December."

Troy closed his eyes and just listened to Gabriella's sweet voice, the voice that he missed so much. "I can't wait either. I have a surprise for when you come down. So, what did you want to talk about? Judging by the email, it's urgent."

"Well," Gabriella hesitated.

"It's okay, Gabs. You can tell me anything."

"My mom is getting relocated in March," she spit out quickly, so she could get it over with. The other end of the phone was silent before Troy's voice spoke into it. "Where to?"

"Philadelphia. There's nothing she can do about it. I called her earlier and she has to go," Gabriella stated sadly.

"But you'll be so close to your mom, that's a good thing!" Troy started, but slowly realized what it also meant. "But you won't be in New Mexico for spring break or summer vacation."

"Well I talked to my mom and she said we'll figure something out. She said she'd let me stay with Taylor during spring break and that I can stay in New Mexico for part of summer vacation. Everything will work out Troy. I promise."

"Okay. And we have plenty of time to worry about that. So, let's just think of now."

"Yeah," Gabriella said. There was a little bit of commotion before Gabriella spoke into the phone again. "Hey, Jane, my roommate, just got back to the apartment and we're gonna go out to dinner. I'll send those pictures later tonight. I love you, Troy."

"Love you, Gabi." Troy heard a click and closed his phone. He let out a long sigh and fell backwards onto his bed.

--

_Three Weeks Later _

Gabriella drove down the dark street, the only light coming from the lampposts. She stared at the address on the piece of paper in her hand, the address that had taken her months to find. She glanced to her left and pulled to a stop in front of the house. It had taken her all week to find the courage to come visit this house. She hadn't even told anyone that she had found the address, not even her mother or Troy.

The young girl zipped up her coat and exited the car. The house was cute: it had a white front door, a blue wrap around porch with steps leading up to it, and there were already some Christmas lights hanging from the roof. With the slam of the car door, Gabriella headed up the steps leading to the front door.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the wooden door three times. Gabriella waited for a moment and thought maybe no one was home, until she saw the front door pull open. The man at the door looked down at Gabriella. She had his eyes and his lips. Her mother always told her she got her patience from him. "Hello? Who are you?" He asked slowly.

"It's me, Gabriella. I'm your daughter."

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Author's Note: **Finally found some time. **Please review**. Even though I don't update often, my stories are always on my mind and I love when I have time to work on them. Thanks lovelies :)


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